Spires of Terratus

Spires of Terratus are one of two most prominent features of Terratus, the other being the Oldwalls. They play a major role in Tyranny and double as player housing.

Background
Every man, woman, and child on Terratus can point to the nearest Spire as it towers above the horizon. From the images and symbols engraved on the surface of each Spire, it is clear that these structures were created by man. No one now alive knows who created them, or what feats of magic allow them to rise so high into the air. Spires are often found near or connected to the Oldwalls. As such, many cultures view them as signs of ill fortune. What's known for certain is that they exist across the world, dozens of them, jutting up from the lands and grasping at the sky. They can certainly be toppled; there are a handful of ruined Spires in the empire. Terratus has changed since they were constructed - some Spires have been swallowed by the mountains, others by the seas. There's one sticking out of the water off the coast of the islands due north of the Bastard Tier, for example.

Given their immense height, the Spires make excellent navigational aids for land and sea travel. Merchants will often trade directions that use Spires as guides rather than relying on maps or trails. Furthermore, the Spires behave as arcane lodestone - there is a constant field of magical strength around a Spire. If you imagine a mystic sea resting atop Terratus world, the Spires seem to spin and churn this magic - creating a spell cast with even modest effort will materialize with powerful results.

Kyros has laws against entering the Oldwalls, but there are no laws against the Spires. One could infer from this that means Kyros has no issue with the lay folks messing with the Spires but wishes to keep the people safe from the Oldwalls. Or one could think like an Overlord and know that if you place a rule against something, you make it forbidden and desirable... And so, Kyros forbids the hallways that lead to the Spires but does not paint a target on the Spires themselves.

Locations

 * (Vendrien's Well, unlocked at the end of Act I)
 * (Lethian's Crossing, available by simply entering the runic hall or completing the quest arc)
 * (Stone Sea, unlocked by accessing Gulfglow Oldwalls)
 * (Stone Sea, unlocked by accessing Howling Rock)
 * (Blade Grave, unlocked by starting A Breach Between Worlds)

Any Spires that were not claimed by the end of Act II will be made available at the beginning of Act III, after Fatebinder Calio mentions them. However, you'll only get one charcoal rubbing (found within the runic halls, as opposed to two or three if you did the associated quest chains), and must thus guess the final pattern.

Function
Spires are your home base as you adventure through the lands of Kyros' Tiers. Your Spire gives you a free location to rest and recover from your travels. As you acquire more Spires, you will discover additional functionality:


 * Teleportation: All Spires are linked, allowing you to travel instantly between them. This will reduce your travel time through the Tiers. Any travel will automatically include teleportation where practical.
 * Upgrades: The Spires acquired after Act I can be outfitted with one of four upgrades, providing different bonuses and functionality. The upgrades are: Forge, Library, Training grounds, and Infirmary.
 * There are five resources you can find in Kyros' Tiers that can be used to power upgrades to your Spire. They are: Scrolls, Iron Ingots, Bronze Ingots, Alchemy Supplies, and Hide. Each upgrade uses different resources.
 * Recruiting workers: Each recruit will provide a benefit when they are at your Spire, such as training skills and selling or crafting unique items. When recruits create items for you, they are stored in a common inventory. The Spire UI will indicate when you have items from recruits ready for you. If you have multiple recruits in a Spire that generate items, you can speak to any of them to access all of the constructed items.
 * Character bonuses: Resting at any Spire will provide bonuses to your party's skills and attributes. Note that the bonuses are additive and do not depend on the Spire where you rest. You'll receive the bonus from each upgrade as long as you rest at a Spire.

The speed at which Spire recruits generate items, research is conducted, and new items forged depends on a combination of factors. For the process to start, you need to gain experience first (preferably solving quests), then wait for time to pass, for example, by traveling overland. The easiest way to maximize research and item creation is to head back to the Spire after each quest and location is completed.

Upgrades
There are four possible upgrades (five if you count the pre-installed machine at the Mountain Spire). Each upgrade can only be built once and cannot be removed once built. So once you choose to build a Training Ground, you’ll need to find another Spire before you can build the Library. Upgrades take time and money to build, and rings to maintain. If you no longer have the rings to maintain an upgrade, it will be suspended and you will no longer receive its benefits until you are able to pay its maintenance cost.
 * Mysterious device: Installed on top of the Mountain Spire by default. Requires no maintenance.
 * Forge: Smiths throughout the Tiers, including Kyros’ Forge-Bound, will be amazed at the Forge you can construct on one of your Spires. Building this upgrade allows you to increase the quality of your weapons and armor, improving their damage and defense characteristics. The Forge also allows you to create unique Artifacts and special named items that you won’t find anywhere else in the game.
 * Infirmary: The Infirmary upgrade provides a place where healers and alchemists can gather. Once this upgrade is built, you will be able to brew your own potions and poisons and prepare various plants to be safely consumed by your party. This upgrade can be vital to ensure your party’s survival – especially on harder difficulty modes.
 * Library: Once constructed, the Library upgrade attracts Sages and scholars from around the Tiers. After all, there aren’t many great libraries left after Kyros destroyed the Vellum Citadel. The Library allows your recruits to research hidden lore – from powerful magical Sigils that allow you to enhance and customize your spells, to stories of ancient Artifacts that you might be able to forge anew. Players who want to get the most out of the Spell Crafting system will make the Library a priority.
 * Training grounds: The greatest weapon masters and mages in the Tiers are drawn to the Training Grounds. Once constructed, you’ll be able to attract the finest skill trainers, able to increase your party members’ skills to the highest ranks.

The Spires originally featured two more upgrades: prison and barracks; they were eventually removed, and their functions merged into the core game.